California Police Kill Dog in Frenzied Attack

Police officers with the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) shot two dogs late Friday morning, killing one, after responding to reports of three dogs attacking another and one biting a pedestrian.

The SFPD published a press release on Friday night outlining the incident, stating that officers arrived at the scene around 10:50 a.m. local time after receiving a report that three dogs were attacking another dog.

Upon arrival, the officers witnessed one of the dogs attacking a pedestrian, and “shortly thereafter, an officer-involved discharge occurred where one of the attacking dogs was fatally struck,” the police department said in its release.

The incident took place near a Safeway shopping center parking lot.

Newsweek has reached out to the SFPD media relations team for additional comment via email on Saturday.

Following the fatal incident, a second dog was contained and taken into custody by Animal Care and Control, but the third ran off. The officers chased it for several blocks, and “during the interaction, an officer discharged their firearm. Animal Care and Control (ACC) were able to place the dog into custody,” the SFPD said.

The pedestrian that was attacked was transported by “paramedics to a local hospital for severe physical trauma which is non-life-threatening,” the police reported. The smaller dog involved in the attack was transported to a veterinary hospital and is receiving care.

Local news station ABC7 reported that Animal Control officers identified the three attacking dogs as Cane Corso mastiffs, weighing around 120 pounds each. The outlet also reported that SFPD spokesperson Robert Rueca said, “The preliminary investigation at this time, we can state non-lethal methods were used to try and detain and stop these dogs – as to which locations used non-lethal methods we haven’t determined that.”

“This is a criminal investigation because you are supposed to be in control of your dog,” Rueca said, according to ABC7.

California civil code states that “the owner of any dog is liable for the damages suffered by any person who is bitten by the dog while in a public place or lawfully in a private place.”

Local news station KRON4 also reported that the police noted that bystanders sought to intervene and pepper-sprayed the dogs.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that “nearly 1 in 5 people bitten by a dog requires medical attention.” The CDC found that for the decade between 2011-2021, there were 468 deaths from being bitten or struck by a dog in the U.S., with an average of 43 deaths per year.

In October, Forbes reported there are nearly 4.5 million dog attacks in the country annually, with the vast majority minor bites and nips, but an estimated 800,000 requiring medical attention.